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Maybe We’ll Get Lucky In ’18 ... Maybe
ow that we’ve said
goodbye to 2017 and hello to 2018, I think we should take this time to re- view some of the 10 most un- popular events and trends that occurred during the last 12-month cycle that we don’t want to see continued or re- peated this year.
Of course, there is no guarantee that all of these things will fade into non-ex- istence. But it doesn’t hurt to have hope, right?
10) Hate Rallies: Last year racism seemed to turn up a notch. The election of Donald Trump made hate groups bolder than ever as one of their own took control of the Oval Office. The tip- ping point was the killing of an innocent woman at a White Nationalist Rally in Charlottesville, Virginia by a Neo-Nazi. When Trump didn’t outright condemn their actions it became a ral- lying cry for bigots every- where that their day had arrived.
9) Complicated Sex- ual Identities: 2017 was the year that the LGBTQ community added a few more categories underneath its all-inclusive rainbow um- brella. You thought getting used to the idea of transgen- derism was tough? Try wrap- ping your brain around what it means for someone to be Demisexual, Two-Spirit or Pansexual. I don’t know where any of this ends. I just pray that a limit does exist.
8) Super Freaks: Who knew that so many rich and powerful men in this country also lived by the “just grab em by the p—-y” mantra? The #METOO movement that started with the revela- tions of Harvey Wein- stein’s creepiness eventually took down other Hollywood, political and media heavyweights like Matt Lauer, Russell Sim-
mons, Rep. John Cony- ers and Kevin Spacey. It turns out that these dudes had more skeletons in their closets than Jeffery Dah- mer. And there’s little doubt that more big names are out there praying that their bad behavior doesn’t join the res- urrection party.
7) Serial Killers: How- ell Donaldson, III, had everyone in Tampa shook for almost two months. No one could leave their homes without wondering if they would be the next victim of the “Tampa Sniper.” Thank- fully, he was captured before he could add more bodies to his kill count. Let’s just hope that there aren’t any copy- cats out there ready to take his place.
6) NFL Celebrations:
Ok. It was fun seeing all of creativity after the NFL al- lowed its players to express joy when they scored a touchdown. Duck-Duck- Goose, speed walking, bowl- ing pins and alley oops were cool to watch. But it all started getting old pretty quickly. Sooner or later these players should realize that there’s a fine line between entertaining and corny. Re- member the “The Dab?”
5) Speaking Of The NFL...: I would be wrong if I omitted how NFL owners showed their true colors by refusing to allow Colin Kaepernick a chance for employment after he took a stance against institutional- ized racism in law enforce- ment. Their real feelings were exposed when the owner of the Houston Tex- ans referred to players as in- mates and was re-enforced after the owner of the Car- olina Panthers had his racist remarks revealed. Right now rooting for an NFL team isn’t as exciting as it has been in years past. I wouldn’t be sur- prised if the NBA replaces
professional football as the most watched and loved sport in the hood going for- ward.
4) N. Korea Again:
Every year it’s something with this crazy nation. And last year was no different. In 2017 they announced that they now have the capability to hit the U. S. mainland with a nuclear missile. Who knows what will happen next?
3) Russian Investiga- tion: We’ve been hearing about “collusion” since Jan- uary. And even though there have been a few indictments issued, no definitive evi- dence has surfaced that would help rid us of Trump’s presence. And if the special investigation keeps losing credibility, we may be dealing with the or- ange-haired “dotard” for an- other 7 years.
2) Killer Storms: Hur- ricanes Harvey and Irma were two of the most devas- tating weather systems to ever hit the United States. While Harvey dropped record rainfall on Texas, Irma did its part to cause massive destruction in Florida. Fortunately, Tampa was able to avoid a direct hit. But that luck is bound to run
out1. ) 24-7 Trump: We all knew that Trump’s presi- dency would be a horrible sight to witness. But I don’t think anyone imagined it would begin this disastrous. From his insistence on tweeting nonsense to his non-stop lies and constant disrespect for anyone he en- counters, Trump is the ab- solute worst thing to ever happen to this country, this planet, possibly the universe. I almost stopped watching the news because I got so tired of seeing his face. And the worse part of it is that, as bad as he made 2017, by the end of 2018 I’ll probably be saying the exact same thing. Heaven help us...
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Six Reasons Not To Sit On Your Pity-Pot This New Year
he fact that New Year’s Day fell on Monday
caused one of our staff writers to coin the follow- ing day “BROKE DAY TUESDAY: A Time of Incon- solable Monetary Grief!”
Well, we happened to be surfing the Net when, lo- and-behold, we came across something that may not only help our fellow journalists to get rid of his post- Christmas blues, but may give thousands of our read- ers (that means you, too), a reason to do likewise.
Here is what we found.
•“If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, and a roof over your head, you are richer than 75 percent of this world’s population . . .
•If you have money in your pocket or purse and have a little bit of change stashed back in a special dish somewhere, then you are among the top 8 percent of the world’s wealthiest people . . .
•If you woke up this morning with more health than illness then you are more blessed than millions around the world who will not survive this week. . .
•If you have never experienced the horror of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation then you are a fortunate member of only 500 million people in the world . . .
•If you can attend a church, synagogue or mosque without harassment, or fear of death, you are more blessed than three billion fellow human beings . . .
And, If you can read this message, you are more blessed than two billion people who cannot read at all.”
Indeed, it made us stop and think.
Now it’s your turn.
Beginning this New Year, count your blessings and
have sincere faith that you are living your best life, today.
PASS IT ON!
N
T
PAGE 6-A FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, JANUARY 5, 2018